Process of aging alcoholic liquors.



No. 657,698., Patented Sept. 1900. J. A. H. HASBRDUCK.

PROCESS OF AGING ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS.

(Application filed Aug. 5, 1899.)

(No Model.)

715162265565: Mgggmar 6.5603544 B 5 a y Attorvz @y T: "cams PETERS comm'oumo, WASHINGTON, 0.1:.

NrrED STATES PATENT OFFIcs.

JULIAN A. H. HASBROUOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OFAGING ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,698, datedSeptember 11, 1900.

Application filed August 5, 1899. Serial No. 726,254. (No specimens.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIAN A. H. HAS- BROUOK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of Aging Alcoholic Liquors; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to the treatment of spirituous or alcoholicllqUOlS- -SI1Gl1 as brandy, whisky, rum, (Vac-for the purpose ofimproving their quality by artificially producing the ripening ormellowing effects known as aging, which are produced naturally bykeeping the liquor under certain conditions of temperature in store fora considerable length of time after its distillation.

As is well known, spirituous liquors when newly distilled are not fitfor consumption, owing largely to the presence of fusel-oil, (andpossibly of other noxious ingredients,) the nature of which is changedin time and converted into innocuous substances, which change isnecessary to give the liquor the distinctive qualities that make ithealthful and palatable. In order to effect these changes, thenewly-distilled liquor is stored until it reaches maturity, which itdoes naturally by the action of air and heat, whereby the fusel-oilbecomes reduced or changed in character, according to the time theliquor is allowed to remain in storage and exposed to the action of thesaid elements. The maturing process is known as aging, and the timeusually desired for reaching the required result by the natural processis not less than three years. The natural process being very expensive,owing to the cost of storage, loss by evaporation, and the interest oncapital, the price of pure old liquor is so high that adulteration isresorted to to bring the price down within reach of the bulk of theconsumers. In a patent granted to me January 7, 1890, No. 418,792, forprocess of aging liquors a method was described and claimed that wasfounded upon the theory that the aging of liquor was the result of theaction of oxygen upon the deleterious ingredients of the liquor and thatby bringing every atom of the liquor into chemical con tact with oxygengas by artificial means the liquor would be aged in much less time thanby the natural method. In that process the liquor was heated, agitated,and broken up into spray or very fine particles by mechanical means in atank specially constructed for the purpose and oxygen gas admitted tothe tank from time to time, so that the finely divided particles of theliquor should be exposed to the action of the gas that filled the spaceabove the body of liquor and formed an atmosphere in which the particlesof liquor were cast and thrown about, and thus exposed to the action ofthe gas for a greater or less length of time, by means of which theaging of. the liquor was effected if the process was continued asuflicient length of time. This process proved to be entirely efficientas a means of aging liquors, and new whisky (not more than six weeksdistilled) after being treated from sixty to ninety days was made equalin quality to three-yearold whisky which had undergone the naturalprocess. Owing to the fact that in that process the whisky had to betaken out of the original barrel and placed in a tank to be treated,this involving the canceling of the Warehouse and tax-paid stamps (whichare the guarantee of the purity of the liquor) and the substitution ofeither wholesale dealer or rectifiers stamps, the process could not beused and was therefore com mercially impracticable.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an apparatus suitable for thepractical application of my process.

The apparatus consists of a still A, which is constructed in the usualmanner and from which a pipe 0 extends and conducts the vapors to thecondenser. (Not shown.) The still described and illustrated is of thesimplest form and serves the purpose of practically illustrating a modeof applying my improved process; but it is to be understood that I donot limit the use of the process to any special form of distillingapparatus, as it is my intention to apply it to any apparatus used fordistillation from the mash or for redistillation of the distillate orfor rectification. At some point between the still and from the still tothe condenser the oxygen s s jec to t e vapo s con rary to theirmovement, which by the concussive impact of the particles of the twomaterials will bring about a more thorough intermingling' of the gaswith the vapors and a sure and more thorough exposure of every particleof the vapors to contact with the oxygen, owing to the slight checkgiven to the vapors by the imposing current of gas flowing in theopposite direction, whereby a commotion or whirling of the materials isproduced while they are in contact, thus giving an opportunity for achemical combination to take place between the oxidizable elements ofthe va pors and the gas. Furthermore, bythis mode of introducing the gasthe liability of waste is averted, whereas when it is discharged intothe vapors in the direction of their movement a large part is driveninto the condenser and goes to waste. The pipe a conveys oxygen gas orits equivalent from a tank F, with which it is connected by a pipe 01,to the interior of the pipe 0 and into the stream of vapor passingthrough the said pipe to the condenser directly or through intermediatevessels used in connection with the more complicated forms of distillingapparatus, the

purpose being to insure a quick and thorough intermingling of the gaswith the vapors, the place where the gas is carried into the pipe C,whether directly into the still or at a greater or less distance fromthe still or between the still and the intermediate vessels('wortwarmer) and its worm, and the rectilicator, or between theintermediate vessels and the c n e e While I have mentioned oxygen gasasthe agent used in my process, I do not confine myself thereto, asotheroxidizing agents may be substituted for pure oxygen gas-as, forexample, atmospheric air.

"I claim e i 1. In aging liquors the process herein described consistingin injecting an oxygenizing agent into the vaporous distillate in theopposite direction to the motion of the distillate directly as it comesfrom the still, producing a concussive impact of the particles of thevapor and oxygenizing agent as and for the purpose specified.

2. In aging liquors the process herein described consisting in injectingoxygen gas into'the vaporous distillate in the opposite direction to themotion of the distillate directly as it comes from the still producingthereby a concussive impact of the particles of the vapor and the oxygengas, as and for the purpose specified.

Intestimony that I claim the invention above set forth I do affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JULIAN A. H. HASBROUOK.

Witnesses:

WILTON C. DoNN, OHAs. E. PETERS.

